Batsmen with the most ODI hundreds since 2013

Cricket is a batsmen's game. You may have heard this cliche time and again, and no other time frame (2013- present) has proved the aforementioned fact with such disdain.

While long bats, flat pitches, and short boundaries have been the major reasons in a surge of high scores, playing conditions have also changed dramatically in this decade.

The use of two new balls is the elephant in the room no one is talking out. Pre-2011, there was widespread criticism of ODI matches getting mundane in the middle-overs. In a bid to address the issue, the International Cricket Council in 2011 introduced a rule that called for the usage of two new balls from either end.

The Kookaburra ball does not swing much and with the use of two new balls has taken the reverse swing and traditional off-spin out of the equation, resulting in batsmen scoring hundreds and the teams' notching up 300 plus scores at a faster rate than ever before.

The surge of high scores can be fathomed from the fact that until 2010, there was only one double-hundred in ODI cricket- by the great Sachin Tendulkar at Gwalior.

This decade has seen as many as seven double hundreds- three of which have been scored by one batsman- Rohit Sharma.

Today, in this article we will have a look at the Batsmen who have made use of such conditions and have scored the most ODI hundreds since the start of 2013.

#5 Ross Taylor - 13 centuries

The bedrock of Kiwi middle-order

His unbeaten 181 on virtually one leg to help the Kiwis overhaul England's 338 earlier this year was a testimony to the form that Ross Taylor has been displaying since 2013.

We talk about Brendon McCullum's flair or Martin Guptill's aggression or Kane Williamson's monk-like calmness as the bedrock of New Zealand's success; Ross Taylor is a farrago of all the aforementioned traits that serve as the backbone of the Kiwis middle-order.

Having made his debut in 2006, Taylor's first seven years in ODI cricket were marked with flashes of brilliance followed by an extended phase of a lean patch. In his first 116 matches, Taylor scored 3408 runs at a middling average of 37.86 and only six hundreds.

He didn't have a particularly good time while leading the Blackcaps both as a leader as well as a batsman. It all changes after Brendon McCullum established himself as the leader of the team, giving Taylor space to figure out his own game, and the numbers in itself tell a story.

Since the start of 2013, Taylor's average has shot up to 57.59- 13 100s being the underlining factor, making him the bedrock of the New Zealand middle-order.

Other batsmen with 13 ODI hundreds - Joe Root & Quinton de Kock

#4 Shikhar Dhawan- 15

The Master of multi-nation tournaments

Just like Rohit Sharma, 2013 proved to be a watershed year for Shikhar Dhawan. After spending three years in the wilderness, Dhawan finally turned it around in international cricket.

Following Sehwag's extended lean patch, Dhawan was handed out his Test match debut at Mohali during the 2013 Border Gavaskar Trophy.

Shikhar stamped his authority in his very first Test by becoming the fastest (Indian) to score a Test hundred (187 at Mohali). A strong showing in his debut Test earned Dhawan a ticket to the ICC Champions Trophy; the rest, as they say, is history

Dhawan and ICC events turned out to be a match made in heaven. The fastest to reach 500-plus runs in ICC events, Dhawan plundered two back-to-back 100s in his opening games of the 2013 Champions Trophy.

India went on to win the event and Dhawan was rightly chosen as the recipient of the 'golden bat' - a feat which he replicated four years later in 2017.

Dhawan is a big match player. He emerged as the leading run-getter for India in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup which included a sublime 137 against the Proteas, and will once again be a vital cog next year at his favourite venue-England.

In 110 ODI matches post-2013, Dhawan has plundered 15 tons to go along with 4866 runs at a stupendous average of 47.24.

#3 Hashim Amla- 17

The Monk amidst the chaos

Hashim Amla continued from where he left (1,059 runs in 15 innings) post 2010 to emerge as the bedrock of the South African batting unit.

Since 2013, Amla has plundered runs which include 15 tons. The irresponsible Amla is the fastest to eclipse each of the 1,000 run multiples (up to 7,000); bettering every record that Kohli had set.

With de Kock, he formed a formidable opening duo, one of the few reasons of South Africa's success in ODI cricket in this decade.

While his form may have tapered off in the past 12 months or so but his place in the pantheon of South African Hall of Fame is assured.

In 107 matches since January 2013, Amla has plundered 4480 runs in 107 matches at an average of 44.35, and South Africa will hope he adds a few more and sign off in style at the 2019 World Cup.

#2 Rohit Sharma - 19 centuries

Too good to be second

Every cricketer has a watershed year where he takes the leap to greatness. What 1998 is to Sachin Tendulkar, 2013 is to Rohit Sharma as far as ODI cricket is concerned.

Before 2013, he had stroked all of two ODI hundreds (against Zimbabwe in 2010). Both of those resulted in him ending up on the losing side. At the end of his 100th ODI, Rohit had scored a mere 2480 runs at an average of 31.79. However, 2013 proved to be an inflexion point for the elegant right-hander.

After the exit of Gambhir and Sehwag from the ODI set-up in 2013, MS Dhoni took what is now hailed as a masterstroke. He promoted Rohit to open the batting. Batting at the top gave him the freedom to express himself and along with Shikhar Dhawan, he kick-started one India's most successful opening pair in ODIs.

Since then, Rohit has been in exceptional form in ODI cricket. At the Brabourne Stadium against West Indies, he plundered his 21st ODI ton. Interestingly, 19 of those have come since the start of 2013 and 11 since the beginning of 2017.

• Rohit is second on the list of Indian batsmen with the most number of sixes (202).
• Most runs (4893) by an opener since 2013.
• Most no of double-hundreds in ODI cricket (3)
• Most Number of 150 plus scores in ODI cricket (7), two more than the next best.
• Six successive years of stroking the highest individual score by an Indian batsman (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018).
• Most ODI hundreds (11) in ODI cricket since January 01, 2017, second only to Virat Kohli (12).

What puts Rohit in the pantheon of modern-day limited-overs batsmanship is his understanding of match-situation. The earlier version of the stroke-maker used to go all out from the start and often lost his wicket to a reckless shot.

Today, Rohit takes his time in the first 15 overs, gets himself in before teeing off in the final leg. The only cricketer to score three double-hundreds, he has amassed seven scores in excess of 150.

Since 2013, Rohit has played 107 ODIs and scored 5476 runs at an average of 60.17. His strike-rate stands at an impressive 93.31.

#1 Virat Kohli - 25

King Kohli leading the pile by a mile.

And at the numero spot comes none other than Virat Kohli.

The Delhi batsman, who equalled Amla's record of taking the fewest innings to cross 1,000 runs [15 innings], has been batting on a different level since the start of 2013.

Since January 01, 2013, the current Indian captain has plundered a Brobdingnagian 25 hundred- head and shoulders above the next best.

The added responsibility of leading his side seemed to have rubbed-off Kohli the right way. After assuming leadership duty since the start of 2017, Kohli has proceeded to hit 12 ODI tons; six of which have come this year.

Kohli averages 129.88 in 13 ODI games this year and in the ongoing series against the Windies has proceeded to scale Sachin Tendulkar's record to be fastest to score 10,000 ODI runs [205 inninngs].

Kohli also broke his own record of completing 1,000 ODI runs in fewest innings [11] in a calendar year.

Since January 01, 2013, Virat Kohli has accumulated 6346 runs in 125 matches at an average of 66.80 including 25 tons.